tanka poet; skilled tanka poet
Specifically refers to a poet who composes tanka (短歌), a traditional 31-syllable Japanese poem. Implies a certain level of skill or dedication.
court poetry official (ritsuryō)
Historical term for an official responsible for court poetry and music under the ritsuryō system. Not used in modern contexts.
A broader, less common meaning of 歌人, simply 'poet'. Usually, 詩人 (しじん) is the standard word for poet in modern Japanese. This sense may appear in older or literary contexts.
She is known as a leading tanka poet of our time.
My grandfather had been active as a tanka poet since he was young.
Under the ritsuryō system, the utabito was a position in charge of poetry and music at court.
In old texts, 歌人 can sometimes simply mean 'poet'.
Standard kanji form for this reading. Note that 歌人 can also be read かじん, which is a more general term for poet.
Compound of 歌 (uta, 'song, poem') and 人 (hito, 'person'), with rendaku voicing of hito to bito. The reading うたびと is older and more specific to tanka, while かじん is a Sino-Japanese reading used for a broader sense of 'poet'.